AUBURNDALE, Fla. - The TCNJ baseball team secured a hard-earned sweep in their doubleheader against Saint John's (MN) Tuesday afternoon, cruising to an 11-3, Game 1 victory before winning Game 2, 5-2 to finish the day unbeaten.
 
GAME 1: TCNJ 11, SJU 3
 
There was little to separate the sides in the first two innings of Game 1 before it was the Lions (7-5) turning one hit into three runs to open the scoring in the third. After a strikeout started the frame, Mike LaGravenis, Jack O'Donnell and Gianni Marano all earned free 90s to load the bases. On the ensuing at-bat it was Zach Hochheiser hitting a single to left that scored two. Justin Marcario took one off his back to reload the bases, with an RBI sacrifice fly off the bat of Ryan Goodall bringing in TCNJ's third and final run of the inning.
 
The Johnnies (7-4) cut into the lead on two occasions, but with the score 7-3 heading into the seventh it was the Lions pouring on four more runs in a miscue-filled half inning to put the game out of reach.
 
Andrew Fernandez got the late rally started with a double to left field with Zach Weiner and LaGravenis reaching safely on the next two at-bats to load the bases. A wild pitch scored Fernandez before O'Donnell was hit to keep the bases juiced, where a walk drawn by Hochheiser and second wild pitch of the inning scored two more to push TCNJ's run total to double figures.
 
The Lions scored their fourth run of the inning and 11th of the game one at-bat later when Marcario lined a single through the right side to score O'Donnell and balloon the lead to 11-3.
 
Joe Ferreri, who had entered the game in relief for Marano in the sixth inning, retired the side in the bottom of the seventh to secure the Game 1 victory.
 
STANDOUT LIONS

• Marano did it all for TCNJ, earning the win on the mound after allowing two runs and fanning six in five innings, while also finishing 2-3 at the plate with a team-high three runs.
• Hochheiser finished 2-4 with a team-best and season-high four RBIs.
• Marcario and Goodall also brought in two runs apiece.
• O'Donnell shared the team-lead in runs with Marano at three, going 1-3 at the dish.

GAME 2: TCNJ 5, SJU 2
 
Despite putting runners in scoring position in both the first and second innings, it was Saint John's striking first in Game 2 after an RBI single off the bat of Will Wareham gave the Johnnies a 1-0 lead in the third.
 
The advantage held for just one inning, however, as in the bottom of the fourth it was Fernandez leveling the score on a sac fly. Goodall opened the inning with a leadoff double, advancing to third on a Brian Lovaglio single before the graduate student crossed home plate on Fernandez' fly ball to right.
 
The sides traded runs in the fifth – Saint Johns' coming on a TCNJ error before Hochheiser struck for his first RBI of the game – to knot things at two heading into the sixth inning.
 
With the game level at 2-2, the Lions turned to Evan Frank out of the bullpen. The sophomore responded by allowing a lone hit in the sixth, setting up TCNJ to score three in the bottom of the inning en route to the win.
 
Fernandez started proceedings with a hard-hit double down the left-field line, scoring on a wild throw to first by the Johnnie's pitcher on the ensuing at-bat to give the Lions their first lead of the game. Both LaGravenis and Weiner would score later in the inning on a timely, two-RBI single from Hochhesier to jump in front 5-2.
 
Frank returned to the mound for the seventh inning, striking out the side to clinch the Game 2 win and series sweep.
 
STANDOUT LIONS

• Hochheiser stayed hot at the plate, going 3-4 with a team-high three RBIs.
• Fernandez, who scored the game-winning run in the sixth, tallied TCNJ's lone other RBI.
• John DiCostanzo was impressive in his second start for the Lions this season, allowing one run on three hits and fanning four across four innings.
• Frank earned his first win of the season in relief, striking out five and allowing just one hit in two shutout innings.

UP NEXT

• The Lions finally have a day off before returning to action Thursday, March 20 for a game against fourth-ranked Endicott. First pitch is scheduled for 9:30 a.m.